Myra’s 100 books pact – 7

Again back with books on our shelf. Love rotating books as it keeps her interest alive and not having too many at one time ensures she is able to concentrate on the few available. So these were the books on our shelf in the last week. We are in the middle of moving and thus I sometimes get occupied with other things… so though we are reading not as much as we used to. 

But books still top our list of activities for the day. So coming to the books we have been reading…

Book 41/100 Spot’s big book of first words….. bought this one long back looking at her love for another spot book. Where’s spot? I wasn’t very impressed on receiving it but Myra loves it. She loves looking at the pictures naming them and it has been a vreat vocabulary builder for her. 

Book 42/100 Dinosaur Roar…. this book is from my latest loot. Got this on pre loved books group on fb. A cute book to learn opposites. Slightly early for her but yes we do talk about opposites we come across … like hot milk cold milk, small teddy big teddy. 

Book 43/100 Baby says…. a very small board book for small babies mostly. But Myra enjoys this book. Again recent purchase from the same loot. Recommended more for a 6 to 9 month old. Will be used later as well but a good book to start with.

Book 44/100 I’m not cute…. everyone tells the little owl you are cute vut it annoys him. So mom to pacify him says that you aren’t cute and then he starts thinking again. Typical confused toddler. Recent purchase and just read once….. but my 20 month old was listening intently. I do not expect much absorption… but i like it when she takes interest in stories. 

Book 45/100 Ball… a little baby in love with his ball escapes through the main door into the woods. Very cute book where the ball mives from one page to other. Myra loved hiding the ball and then finding it again. Again a recent purchase.

Book 46/100 Puppy’s day out… another of my first purchased books. Been reading it for over a year now. Very short and simple story. But simplicity catches on best with little one’s and thus another favourite.

Book 47/100 Counting kisses… oh I absolutely looove this book. A very beautiful kiss along book. Awesome bedtime read that adds more to kisses and snuggles. We have been reading it for a year now and now that Myra knows most body parts she knows where she is going to get kissed next. She too enjoys being kissed and I love to hear her giggle as she feels tickled. Absolutely must have!

Book 48/ 100 Happy birthday Spot… i love books that are inter related. And Spot series therefore is something  I am always on the lookout for. Just read this a couple of times, but this was the first time she enjoyed it as she is now beginning to take interest in stories. 

Book 49/100 Round and round book…. another from the set of three. No beginning no end and no story… picture book. She loves this one too. Good for sparkinb creativity. It is nice to see her sit with the book and go into the pictures.

So that is what we have been reading lately. We are almost halfway and I am loving this. Hope you find something good here to add to your collection. Need any further inputs please feel free to message. 

Happy reading!

Myra’s 100 book pact – 6

Been a long time since I posted. Posting two today cause i completed one much earlier but due to a bad net connection it got left out. 

We have been reading but bad weather and then she was down with cold and I was too tired end of day to think even. Thankfully she started sleeping better since last two days and I too behaving well by sleeping in time. As a mother to a toddler you really must catch on your skeep to be able to handle them the next day. 

In between all this we got two packages of books… one fromMy little bookshop. And another from a facebook group that sells preloved books. We were both very excited obviously. The one from my little bookshop was mostly books on rains as we wanted to follow rhythms and since it is rains right now I wanted to read some books on rains with her. And yes she loved them 😀

We have changed this shelf long back and are already overdue for the next change. Myra walks up every morning and is not very happy not to find anything much new. So from an old shelf what we had….

Book 35/100 Action rhymes… bought this book from a shop in bangalore that sells preloved books by weight. It has some very good action rhymes and has been very useful for me as I learnt a lot of actions from here and Myra really enjoys these now.

Book 36/100 Where the wild things are…. had been reading awesome reviews for this book since long and finally bought it. This was the first time Myra read this one. I loved the book and I think she will love it too. For now she was only busy looking at the pictures of all the wild things and watching them dance to the tunes of a little boy.

Book 37/100 Penny and Pup… a very cute story. She still does not understand the story yet loves looking at the beautiful illustrations in the book.

Book 38/100 Kitten’s furry friends… this is a finger puppet book and she loves it from the first day. It is a simple and very cute story. This book grew in her and now she goes deeper into whaT is happening at each stage. She absolutely loves this one.

Book 39/ 100 Daring baby mouse… one of my first purchase for her. Very stursy boardboom and a very cute simple story. She enjoys it as well

Book 40/100 Sleepy me…. a very cute bedtime book… the baby is sleepy and so is everything else in the house. Beautiful rhyming book. This one was a free gift from the lady who sells pre loved books. And it is really liked by her. 

That is all for now. Right now our shelf is overflowing with books. Will come back very very soon with some very awesome titles we have on our shelf right now. 

Happy reading till then!

Myra’s 100 book pact – 6

Been a long time since I posted. Posting two today cause i completed one much earlier but due to a bad net connection it got left out. 

We have been reading but bad weather and then she was down with cold and I was too tired end of day to think even. Thankfully she started sleeping better since last two days and I too behaving well by sleeping in time. As a mother to a toddler you really must catch on your skeep to be able to handle them the next day. 

In between all this we got two packages of books… one fromMy little bookshop. And anothe from a facebook group that sells preloved books. We were both very excited obviously. The one from my little bookshop was mostly books on rains as we wanted to follow rhythms and since it is rains right now wanted to read some books on rains with her. And yes she loved them 😀

We have changed this shelf long back and are already overdue for the next change. Myra walks up every morning and is not very happy not to find anything much new. So from an old shelf what we had….

Book 35/100 Action rhymes… bought this book from a shop in bangalore that sells preloved books by weight. It has some very good action rhymes and has been very useful for me as I learnt a lot of actions from here and Myra really enjoys these now.

Book 36/100 Where the wild things are…. had been reading awesome reviews for this book since long and finally bought it. This was the first time Myra read this one. I loved the book and I think she will love it too. For now she was only busy looking at the pictures of all the wild things and watching them dance to the tunes of a little boy.

Book 37/100 Penny and Pup… a very cute story. She still does not understand the story yet loves looking at the beautiful illustrations in the book.

Book 38/100 Kitten’s furry friends… this is a finger puppet book and she loves it from the first day. It is a simple and very cute story. This book grew in her and now she goes deeper into whaT is happening at each stage. She absolutely loves this one.

Book 39/ 100 Daring baby mouse… one of my first purchase for her. Very stursy boardboom and a very cute simple story. She enjoys it as well

Book 40/100 Sleepy me…. a very cute bedtime book… the baby is sleepy and so is everything else in the house. Beautiful rhyming book. This one was a free gift from the lady who sells pre loved books. And it is really liked by her. 

That is all for now. Right now our shelf is overflowing with books. Will come back very very soon with some very awesome titles we have on our shelf right now. 

Happy reading till then!

Myra’s 100 book pact – 5

Most books here are repeats. Kids love repitition and it makes complete sense to present to her what is her favourite

Book 30/100 perfect pets… bought this book because she loves animals. It is a beautiful touch and feel book and has been a favourite ever since we have been reading it. What i like best is the texture of tongue of the cat. Cat’s tongue is very rough and that is exactly how it feels in this book. Great for young babies too.

Boom 31/100 Naisha at the market… from the naisha series. We lov them!

Book 32/100 vegetables board book… self explanatory name. I too love this as I too learnt the English names for some vegetables for which I only knew the hindi names. A reminder how parenting is also making me grow. 

Book 33/100 little miss sunshine… a tiny board book. Love the little miss series. Good to carry on short trips too. 

Book 34/100 Animal action… this book i got as a free gift from the lady who sells pre loved book. It is an awesome book where some parts of the animal move. Many of these are broken and perhaps that is why it was given as a free book. Nevertheless we love it! 

That is all for now 😀

Will be back soon with more books from our reading shelf! 

Myra ‘ s 100 book pact -4

A week ran by… i was not my ususal self. Not every day is full of sparks. I was little lost so books were not changed and we just read what was around… also grumpy mood leads to shopping… and in my case online shopping. So since we love books i heavilly shopped books and am very eagerly awaiting my loot 😅

The books last week were 

Book 24/100 farm hullaballo.. a sound book. Bought it moatly because of the sound. She loves to play the sounds and repeat them. Of late we also started reading a bit. And when we talk of things happening on the farm she has that lost look on her face… deep in thoughts🤔. Take this out often on our book rotations.

Book 25/100 Say hello to the snowy animals… a very simple cute book with arctic animals. On each page we say hello to the animal and talk about what they are doing. We also shake hands. I think it is the effect of these books that when we go out she sometimes does say hello… or at least bye as by then she is more comfortable.

Book 26/ 100 Fruits… she absolutely loves this book. We have been reading this book for a year now and as a result of having gone through different seasons and having experienced each of these she identifies them and can name them. And yes she loves fruits so that is another reason why she likes this book so much

Book 27/ 100 Ears…. very simple short book. Bought pre loved and not recommended at all. She does look at the pictures sometimes but not much. 

Book 28/100 Naisha at the toy shop… another one from the nine book series. These have really enhanced her vocabulary. We call the little girl Myra so she likes to do what Myra is upto in the book. I generally always have one of these out on the shelf.

Book 29/ 100 Round and round book… this book is a part of pack of three books which are called round and round books. It has no beginning and no end and no story given. It is just pictures and you narrate your own story. She loves this book. Looks at it and loves to hear what i have to say. I am waiting for the day she will come up with her stories 😁

Hope this helps and inspires.

Happy reading untill next time! 💖

Myra’s 100 book pact -2

It has been a rough week. Bad ear infection that gave us sleepless nights. She would wake up middle of night and refuse to sleep anymore. I was sleep deprived. she managed to make up with little sleep here and there. But she did not feel the usual chirpy chirpy. Anyways, the week is over and we are much better. We made up for lost sleep.

Reading was not as usual as the whole routine was upside down. Nevertheless we did read  🙂

So here is what we have been reading lately 🙂 Mr brown can moo again was out on our shelf this week but I will skip it in my list here. It is one favourite so i just let it be again in the new rotation.And Poky little puppy just seem to have been left behind 🙂

Book 10/100 where is Amma… A book where a little boy is looking for his mother (amma). He looks all around and then finding her slippers outside the fridge thinks she is inside finishing up all food. It is cute and funny and Myra enjoys it. Will be enjoyed more i think once she is older and understands the story better.

Book 11/100 How big is a Pig… Bought this on a group that sells pre-loved books. We absolutely love it. Also very good to learn some opposites. Simple and beautiful illustrations. Rhyming words make it even more interesting to read. Good to buy this one!

Book 12/100 Naisha at the Fair… another one from the Naisha series. In case I missed out earlier, this is a set of 9 books.

Book 13/100 Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see?… It is not without reason that this is a classic. A very simple book that talks about different animals. This is an awesome early read book. You may start this as soon as you start reading to your little one. Even a 10 month old would love this one. Myra absolutely loves it and we have many “once more” happening here 🙂

Book 14/100 Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs… Another Sandra Boynton classic. I think her books are popular among kids for their rhyming, simple words. Myra has no idea what are dinosaurs and yet she loves this one. Very simple illustrations, again talks about opposites and also some colours. I surely recommend this one.

Book 14/100 The very busy spider… A spider who is totally engrossed in the web that she is weaving. All animals come and talk to her she hears none, so busy she is. Helps children learn animal sounds. Myra knows them all and today she was sitting with our the lady who cooks for us, flipping pages and telling her what each animal says. And yes she also says “no” meaning that the spider did not hear 😛 Again a favourite and highly recommended!

Book 15/100 Daddy Kisses… Bought this for Myra on father’s day. Ideally this is for daddy and daughter to share. The book has different animal daddies with their little ones. How each one kisses their baby. And in the end a father kissing his child. It is yet to grow on us… But had good reviews online hence bought 🙂

That was for this week. I hope this helps someone looking to buy books and also inspires you to read to your child. Reading is indeed our favourite time together 🙂

Will be back soon with more !

Myra’s 100 Books Pact

It makes me very happy to see my passion for books reflect in Myra. She absolutely loves her books and we have multiple reading sessions through the day. I have a good collection for her (never bothered to count ). I rotate the books every other day or third day sometimes. The first thing after she wakes up and has visited the potty is to come and see what is on her reading shelf! And some books actually make her sp happy that she will shake her bum just to see them. So obviously we start the day with reading, one session post breakfast while i relish my tea, one after lunch and one after dinner. And many a times one or two books somewhere here and there.

So the aim of this pact is not to bring reading into our routine. I am just looking at sort of penning down what we are reading and share my reviews on the books that we have. And yes it will give me a good excuse buy some more 😉

So the first nine books from the pact are these:

Book 1/100 Flutterfly… a beautiful book which has no words. all black and white except for the butterfly that moves from one place to another on each page. Every time we read this I build my own story. Myra loves my funny versions. She loves this book. She loves to follow the butterfly or to watch the baby sleep with all butterflies on his pillow.

Book 2/100 Carry me Mama…. another book by an Indian author.This one has hindi subtitles too. It talks about how different animals carry their babies and also show a mom and dad carrying a little child. Myra has not shown much interest in this one yet. Though I like it 🙂 Maybe she will understand this better next year. As of now there is only one mama and she does not understand completely that everyone has a mama 😛

Book 3/100 Pyjama Time…. This is top of our current favourite list. Sandra Boynton books have beautiful rhyming which makes them interesting to little children. This one is almost like a song. But this certainly does not do the work a bedtime book ought to do. in fact this gets her all excited. It is almost like a pyjama party. Every time we pick this up it is repeated at least 4 to 5 times… and sometimes even more. Toddler’s love repetition!

Book 4/100 The Poky little puppy… Given her love for dogs and mine too I just bought this off Amazon. Nothing great but not bad either. She surely does flip through it when I take it out in a long time. It has too much of story so I just cut it short and mostly we leave it halfway.

Book 5/100 Hello, Goodbye… A very cute bear who comes and says hello to everyone and then it starts raining and its time for goodbye. She loves this book. Simplicity is what catches on a toddler I feel. This is one of the simplest books we have and she started enjoying this very early on. Also whenever we go out and she does not say hello I try and bring up this book and then she is all geared up to say hello. So also a good little learning here!

Book 6/100 Mr Brown Can Moo Can you? Dr Seuss books need no introduction i think they are favourite across ages. She only started enjoying it recently but me and hubby loved this since day 1. But now this is on her favourite list too. And it is excellent for talking about sounds that things make.

Book 7/100 Naisha at the Farm… this is a series of 9 books. Good for vocabulary building. Each book talks about one place visited… circus, market, Mall etc. The child can also connect with each place later on. We love these too again for their simplicity and they are great vocabulary builder. She is in her sensitive period for language so she loves to point to each picture and asks me to name it.

Book 8/100 Moo Baa La La La…. again an awesome book by Sandra Boynton. This is one we have been reading for almost a year now. And trust me I know this one by heart. It is an awesome book and Myra loved this one almost from start. Even now she loves it and now she too can repeat the sounds with the book 🙂

Book 9/100 the Very Hungry Caterpillar…. This is a classic but did not go very well with us. I personally too do not find the pictures very attractive.  A little bit of voice modulation did create some interest and so did all the food that the little caterpillar ate. Plan to do some activities based on this one once she is a little older… maybe then it will be of more interest.

So this is what we have on our shelf… for today and tomorrow. i will be back in another post with more books and more reviews. Hope this helps you choose books.

Would love to hear from you and know what you love to read ❤

I hate the word “NO”!

Following the beautiful path of gentle parenting I have always tried my best to keep away from this dreaded word. i have looked of better ways of saying, tried to distract… but whatever you may do a mother just cannot help but utter no a couple or more times in a day. For there is danger and we have an explorer!

So now at 19 months to my utter despair “no” is her favourite word. And now when it comes from her for anything and everything and even for things she would love to do but in a bad moment it seems she is just doing her best to test me, I really feel how it feels. How it feels to hear a no. A no for everything… that is what we do to these little ones or so it seems to them.

I know it is a challenge but my sincere advice to all new mommies… Keep away from no for if we do not like to hear it we must not say it too. There always is a better phrase.  Like istead of no jumping on bed… let’s jump on the floor, no pulling my hair… you are hurting me baby…. don’t throw… let’s play throw with ball. These are just a few examples. There are many such more on the internet. Keep away this word from their dictionary as long as you can!!

Why I have a problem with Barbie and all things princess!

The market is full of them and every little girl seems to be in love with them…. i fail to understand why! And I sincerely hope that my little girl never develops a liking for the over rated barbie.

Barbie is perhaps the worst ever toy possible for a little girl. A doll that has nothing to teach. To begin with why should the doll of a little girl have an adult woman body. There is absolutely nothing baby-like about the doll… from the clothes she wears or body she carries… or even her accessories. Perfect bodies do not exist… yes i want my baby to be fit… to be athletic and yet not be body conscious. The fitness should be a result of the right food choices and preference to outdoor sports.

Playing with dolls is good… and no not just for girls even for boys. Gone are the days with different games for boys and girls. My girl loves her cars and trucks and very soon we are gonna get some guns too!!

So next big objection I have is to the marketing companies selling everything to some princesses!!! Hello which world are we living in? Why do we all want our little girls to grow up thinking they are princesses? Why cannot we keep them more grounded. In fact I also have a big objection to all those fairy tales with some handsome prince charming. Now why does a little girl at this young age need to think about a prince… a charmer or a dud? Married and lived happily ever after…. Noooo I want my girl to focus on other things… Marriage is not the aim of life… It should happen at the right time. I see these fairy tales so senseless.

I have grown up with all these… but what did it really teach me. Fantasy is not good. Not for a child for sure for they do not understand the difference. Of course i don’t intend to teach her facts from books or make her watch news. I just want her grounded and in touch with real life, In touch with the nature. I don’t want her to think of elaborate dresses but rather play in mud in her shorts and pyjama. Soak the sun and the rain… feel textures… Dirty her hands. Run after butterflies… chase the ants… be amazed by birds…. gaze at the moon and sun and yes maybe sometimes just into space.  All things real!

Maybe I am being too dramatic about it all… but how do I hand over something to my girl which may lead to a wrong impression. According to Maria Montessori… the first six years child is like a sponge. They take in everything in the environment. So I just cannot help but be very selective of what comes close to her.

Perhaps things will change as she grows and develops a mind of her own. She may follow where I tried to lead her but she may also carve her own niche… either ways for now while I am responsible I shall do all in my power to bring the most beautiful and meaningful experiences to her. When the time comes I shall respect her wishes and let her choose 🙂

Breastfeeding @18 months… challenges… breakdown and yet going strong!!!

For someone who had not thought anything about breastfeeding and was so depressed those initial weeks that weaning at 6 months was decided, 18 months is a long way to come. The initial weeks are always challenging so one really must not look at the future that time. That time one must only keep strong and carry on.

So when she was younger and would nurse every 30 mins to an hour I was so anxious for her crossing one, starting to walk, take interest in toys so nursing interests her much lesser. Now all that happened but nursing behaviour has not really changed much. The solution to boredom is to nurse… need mama’s attention ask for milky… And to add to it I have a constantly moving toddler who would rarely ever sit still to even nurse.

No nursing a toddler is not easy at all. But it is very very rewarding. It is a one stop solution for all problems. For vaccination days… for days of sickness… for vacations 🙂 or for just simply dull days. Though most days I hate to be under arrest by my little toddler but there are many other days when I am not upto running behind her and locking her in a room and some books and an open offer to nurse 😛 helps me sail through.

But yes it is so demanding a job I feel like giving ever so often. And then I go back and read why I ever wanted to nurse so long. Last week was the worst ever such episode. With all those teeth coming in the latch changes so often. It pains and over that since she is also overwhelmed by teething she nurses like a newborn. So with a week like that almost and no good sleep for me I just wanted to give up. And though I had always thought of gentle weaning I just wanted to get over it soon 😦

But then good sense prevailed and I started thinking about how would she balance her nutrition. She is a self fed baby and self fed babies can listen to their body and make adjustments in their eating pattern. But somehow I was not convinced and wanted to know what alternate food sources should I offer to make up for. And thus i realised the biggest reason WHO recommends feeding till 2 years. The child goes through teething and also various major developmental changes. The food intake thus even for a self fed baby is not very well regulated. The physical discomfort would make them fussy eaters. And no I cannot MAKE my girl eat. She eats only when and what she wants to eat. Which is a very good thing! And so for all the missed out nutrition only breastmilk is capable of making up. Also at the same time it provides them the comfort they look for. Also I have realised that it is a very good way to soothe a tantrum.

Now a days her apetite has gone rock bottom. Few bites in the morning. Fruit she can eat anytime of day. But pulses and carbs very difficult. Some fruit salad and few spoons of rice at lunch, and again few bites at dinner. With such a poor intake I am really thankful for her nursing.

And thus I fell back on track. I am for now aiming 2 years of breastfeeding as my goal. Also whenever I wean her I want it to be a gentle approach. No crying and howling. It may take months but I know love shall win. i am not the gentlest of people around but I am trying very hard with her. I win most times but then I do have bad days. I am doing better each month and I know we shall win, for love always wins 🙂

 So mums out there who have totally lost it nursing their toddlers. Hold on… nothing lasts forever and nor shall this, but the benefits surely will.!